Good morning! I hope it's a beautiful day wherever you are. Here's the Beauty Squared Round-Up for this past week!
Combination skin - that's your skin type, right? Well, we all have combination skin, so really, that means there is no such thing and we're all being taken in by marketing. Read the argument here.
Do you wash your face in the morning and at night? Here's why you should maybe not wash your face when you wake up.
The external reveals what's internal, so drink these teas for better skin.
Three skin care tips you may not have heard before - exfoliating in the morning, skip moisturizer on your nose, and tint your windows.
Ways petroleum jelly (Vaseline) can help with your beauty and skincare routines.
Retinol is a form of vitamin A and a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent fine lines and wrinkles, reduce discolouration and help manage eczema and acne. It can be expensive, but there are drugstore versions of retinol that aren't - some of the best.
Did you know your makeup primer can be used on your lips, in your hair and as a makeup corrector?
MUA Andrew Sotomeyer shows how to use eyeliner to enhance a variety of different eye shapes - hooded, almond, round, downturned and monolid.
Seemingly inspired by the OCC Lip Tars and the Too Faced Melted lip colours, MAC has its Vamplify collection coming out this week. The British Beauty Blogger has some swatches here, and Temptalia has the preview photos here.
In defense of "tacky" makeup: glitter, bright colours, temporary tattoos.
Transforming the makeup looks you wore when you were younger so that you can wear them now (and not look like you're trying to be a teenager).
Does your skin have yellow undertones? That means you've got cool-toned skin. Here are some makeup colours/products that will suit you.
Permanent makeup: would you ever? Here's what you should know before considering it.
Hangnails: what are they, how do you get them and how do you get rid of them?
Deep side-parts, and I mean DEEP side-parts. They're not for the faint of heart.
And finally, this great article in the NY Times Magazine looks at Kevyn Aucoin's second book, Making Faces, that was, for many (including me) a revelatory inspiration and continues to be to this day.
Try to stay calm. There is a CoverGirl Star Wars-themed beauty collection coming out.
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) have released their lip tars in lipgloss tube packaging (and new formulas to suit the packaging). Christine of Temptalia is reviewing them all, and there have been mixed results. In this post, she reviews the shades Black Dahlia, Hollywood, Memento and Technopagan.
This isn't a simple DIY, but if you've ever been inclined to make your own nailpolish, from scratch, here's a great step-by-step to make your own neon watermarble shades.
Removing lipstick from anything (where it's not supposed to be).
You may not have heard of the gorgeous Jillian Mercado before, but you likely will soon. Jillian has muscular dystrophy and has been signed to IMG Models.
Happy Sunday lovelies! Let's jump right in, shall we?
An excellent article on contouring, written by a makeup artist who breaks down what contouring is, how to do it, and why it's used (and not used).
Nude lipstick is the opposite of red lipstick but it's no easier to track down your perfect nude lipstick than it is the perfect red. Here's how to do it.
Everyone loves a hack (apart from maybe someone who breaks into computers or a certain type of painful cough or someone who ). Ahem, anyway, how about some lipstick hacks?
Drinking water doesn't just keep your body hydrated, and well, alive. It can improve the condition of your skin, teeth and hair. Here are some tips for drinking water.
Dry skin brushing can increase circulation, exfoliate the skin, and improve skin texture. Here's how to do it and why you should.
Hair treatments for dry hair you can do at home, with stuff from your kitchen!
Ah, humidity. Evil, evil humidity making your hair all frizzy. Here's how to fight it.
Does rinsing your hair with cold water actually make it shinier?
Getting a drastic haircut holds the promise of a positive life change. Following a breakup or another big life change, new hair promises to give you a fresh outlook, to change your personality. But does it always give us what is promised? One woman reflects back on how a drastic haircut changed her life.
Photographer Adama Jalloh celebrates black British girlhood through her photos of black girls having their hair done.
Women who wear makeup earn more and are treated better than women who don't, but what toll is this makeup tax having on us?
Model Elizaveta Bulokhova has posed for her first photos since losing her jaw to oral cancer. Beautiful.
Happy Sunday, Beauty Squared fans! Here is the weekly round-up of beauty-related links we've well, rounded-up for you this week. There's lots to enjoy this week!
If you were a 90s kid, here are some of the beauty things you probably did then that are back in style now. If you weren't a 90s kid, here are some 90s beauty things that you can do now to be on trend.
And here are some 90s beauty trends (muddy brown lipstick, chunky highlights, skinny brows) you should leave in the past. Please?
Some of New York's beauty pros (hair, skin, makeup) share their favourite products. What do they use on their clients and what do they use on themselves?
Multimasking: using different masks on different areas of the face. Why hadn't we thought of this before? It's kind of a no-brainer!
Do you want to look fabulous in the pool? Or in a rainstorm? Here are some waterproof beauty products you'll want to check out.
Oh, the never-ending quest to get rid of shine! Here's yet another pro tip for minimizing shine - will this one work for you?
What can you do if you find that your face is always looking like it's a lighter shade than your body? It happens to a lot of us!
Birchbox has a great article about choosing foundation shades without trying them on first, or even, in the case of online shopping, not seeing it in person first.
How often do you clean your makeup brushes? Is it as often as you should? Do you know how to properly clean your brushes? Find out all you need to know here.
There are brushes for applying makeup, and brushes for removing makeup (or cleaning your skin). The Muse has a review of the new Sephora Cleansing Me Softly Facial Cleanser Brush, which costs only $10 USD.
Speaking of cleansing, here are some bad (beauty-related) habits that could be prematurely aging you.
If you want to use a natural deodorant and would rather not buy one (they can be pricey), here's how to make your own at home.
Korean-American Julianna Haahs recently visited family in Korea and received negative comments about her appearance from family members. She talks about how she responded and the differences between Korean and American perceptions of beauty.
Former fashion photographer Rick Guidotti's nonprofit organization Positive Exposure aims to broaden our understanding and perception of people living with physical, genetic and behavioural differences. His work is featured has been featured in a documentary called 'On Beauty'.
Hello and Happy Sunday to you. Here are the beauty links in the Beauty Squared Round-up this week:
Want to make your lips look bigger with a few little makeup tricks? Here's your step-by-step.
Beyonce's makeup artist Sir John talks about which order makeup should be applied (eyes before base!).
Seven things you probably didn't know about your eyelashes.
From GQ Magazine, food to eat for better skin (men and women can benefit from this list).
Nude as a colour for makeup, or clothing, works for oh, 20% of the population, but it's definitely most frustrating if your skintone falls nowhere near the colour spectrum nude products are in. Here's how to get nude lips if your skin is dark.
Hello and a happy Sunday to you! There's a lot of links to share with you today. Are you ready?
Are you feeling the heat this summer? Did you know you can put some of your beauty products in the refrigerator to give them added cooling effects, and longevity, among other things.
How to detox (and depuff) after an indulgent period of time (IE. the summer party). These are specific to warm weather, but many can be used all year to help get yourself back in order after too much booze, too much salt, too little sleep, etc.
This is a classic trick to avoid getting lipstick (or lip lacquer, or lipgloss, or lip tars, etc) on your teeth. It involves your finger.
Speaking of classic beauty tricks (or maybe not so classic), a reporter used a bunch of vintage beauty treatments and tricks for a week. See what happened in a week of using beets and rose petals as blush and lipstick, a raw turnip to reduce freckles, egg whites as hair spray, and homemade cold cream.
Bold eyeshadow is in fashion. Think colourful and on the sheer/metallic side.
If you've ever grown out a hair cut or bangs, you know that this can be a very awkward stage. A very simple way of feeling cute and hiding some of your hair's awkwardness is by throwing on a hat. And in summer, it can protect your scalp, hair and face from sun damage too!
Air drying your hair is great in the summer when blasting yourself with hot air from a hair dryer is the last thing you want to do when it's 30 degrees outside. But, air drying can mean frizz and limpness. Here's a tutorial that takes air drying from blah to gorgeous. (I'm going to try it today!)
Colourful hair is in style right now - think bold tones of pink, blue, purple and combinations - but it can be challenging if you have dark hair, and a deep skin tone. If this is you, here are some tips and inspiration for going colourful.
A photographic series by Icelandic photographer Sigga Ella highlights the beauty of women with alopecia, an autoimmue disorder which causes hair loss, as well as the stigma they often face.
This video is powerful and difficult to watch. Beauty blogger Em Ford, who suffers from acne, has been posting images of herself online not wearing makeup and she made a video to show some of the comments she received. The internet can be a very hateful place, and shows that whether you choose to wear makeup or not, people will judge you harshly. It's also clear that many of the comments she received are from men.
What is strobing? The awesome Jackie Aina explains, hilariously.
First just contouring, now clown contouring. Just no, stop it now.
Baking is another makeup technique getting some buzz. It's a drag technique for setting your undereye concealer and achieving a flawless finish Here's how to do it.
A much more simple eyeshadow technique called the "secret eye pop".
Hello lovelies! Hope you're having a lovely Sunday. It's Beauty Squared Round-Up time and there's loads to tell you about.
Charlotte Tilbury was in Toronto this week for the Canadian launch of her beauty brand. I (Catherine) was in attendance and you can see a few photos I snapped here.
Here's the official #TilburyTakesCanada photo album.
How's your skin this morning? If it's looking a little puffy maybe due to lack of sleep, dehydration, too much salt or too much alcohol (no judgment!), here's a 3-minute massage you can give yourself to reduce that puffiness.
Is your hair needing some TLC? Here are some of the best hair masks specifically for colour-treated hair, but if your hair is dry and damaged even though you don't colour it, they'll work for you too.
The Body Shop is doing a revamp of their image. The British Beauty Blogger has some packaging photos and info.
A beautiful shimmery, youthful makeup look using Maybelline products and demonstrated on model Gigi Hadad. Don't worry, this makeup look would work on anyone. You don't need to be a model, or have perfect skin or be 20 years old!
More VERY summery (simple bronzy skin and a sexy, smudgey eye) makeup inspiration courtesy of Lisa Eldridge.
Another great look from Lisa Eldridge - a no-fuss, modern take on the 60s makeup look.
A gorgeous smokey eye with a pop of unexpected colour - perfect for summer, or anytime.
Another smokey eye idea - this one focuses the impact on smoking up the lower lid NOT the upper lid. Very coooooool.
Cushion make-up - you may have come across this term recently. It's a new trend in western makeup taken from (where else?) Korean beauty brands. Basically, cushioning is in the packaging where pillowy sponges are soaked in product (blush, foundation, etc) allowing for light and smooth application. Kind of how you use a sponge to apply a product but the sponge is built into the makeup in the case of cushion make-up. Read more and see some of the products now available in North America here.
Some ideas for taking care of your skin naturally. As in, more about what you put into your body, rather than what you apply on the surface (though that's important too).
This is verging on a "how to attract a man" article, but not quite (we wouldn't share it if that's all it was, promise). Does wearing a strong lip colour actually turn men off as some men claim? An experiment.
Speaking of makeup shaming, women have been posting selfies of themselves with faces of half-bare/half-makeup to show they're comfortable both in and out of makeup. (So stop with the hating on women who wear makeup!)
To celebrate Pride here's an interview with transgender model (and the face of Make Up For Ever) Andreja Pejic where she talks about beauty.
An interview with two of the makeup artists behind the makeup on the TV series Transparent which features Jeffrey Tambor as the transgender patriarch of a dysfunctional family.
Hello lovelies! It's time for our weekly round-up. And I feel like I should add a note about the lack of posts lately. Both Beauty Squared ladies have been very busy lately and blogging has proven challenging, but we're aiming to bring you some posts very soon. Stay tuned! In the meantime, we'll keep bringing you this weekly round-up, so you can see what the internet is talking about where it comes to beauty and skincare and haircare. Let's go!
Keratosis Pilaris is a skin condition that's getting a fair bit of buzz lately, mainly because it seems to be something many people have but didn't realize it was an actual condition and could be treated. I actually just realized that Keratosis Pilaris is what I have on my upper arms, after about 20 years of being embarrassed by the red, bumpy skin there. If you've got patches of skin that look a bit like chicken skin, it might be Keratosis Pilaris.
Blackheads are better known than Keratosis Pilaris, but they're no less problematic. If you have them, you'll want to read this article that explains what they are, what causes them and how you get rid of them.
From one beauty issue to another (and another). Dark undereye circles are something most of us deal with, and there really isn't a whole lot than be done about them apart from trying to avoid them if they're caused by dehydration, lack of sleep, etc or concealing them. Here are some tips to minimize their appearance from treatment to concealing.
It's that time of year when many of us are turning into sun worshippers after a long, cold winter but forgetting that even when it's not that hot, it can burn our skin. You really should be wearing sunscreen on any exposed skin during all seasons of the year, but if you're not fastidious like that and occasionally get too much sun, here's how to cover up sunburn without irritating the damaged skin any further.
If you kind of like the look of a bit of sunburn on your face but would rather not burn your flesh to get the effect, here's how to do it with makeup.
Temptalia's review of yet another nude eyeshadow palette, this one containing five very wearable matte shades from Becca.
MUA Lisa Eldridge talks about the beauty tricks she uses while travelling.
We all want to save money. Buzzfeed has a post on doing so with your beauty products.
Beyonce's MUA Sir John Barnett has been tapped as L'Oreal Paris' new celebrity makeup artist. Here he talks about his new role for L'Oreal, his techniques and shares some secrets.
Happy Sunday and hello from Beauty Squared. It's that time again. Here are our picks for must-see links related to all things beauty. Let's go!
Spring 2015 Beauty Trend: Doll-like makeup. We're talking perfect skin, lashes and pink lips.
Summer is coming and that means many of us will be cropping our hair shorter for the warmer weather. Thinking of going short-short? Or maybe you're already way ahead of the trend and rocking short hair? Here are some short hair inspirations.
Do you dye your own hair? If so, you know how messy it can be. Here are some helpful tips on cleaning up during and after dying your hair.
You know how to keep your skin clean and clear from breakouts, right? No? Here you go.
Do you exfoliate your skin? You should and here's how.
A product that can banish your puffy eyes with minimal effort?
Products that can minimize those pesky large pores that can prevent you from having a smooth complexion are all the rage right now. This is what you should know about them.
Tempted by bold eye makeup looks but a little intimidated? This post might help.
Speaking of bold eye makeup looks: how about using metallic flakes (think gold leaf) in your eye looks?
If you'll be travelling somewhere warm soon, or you've maybe overdone it enjoying the warm spring sunshine, this is for you - Five Tips for Sunburn.
Ease off on the contouring, kids. Read what MUA Patti Dubroff has to say about the heavy contouring running rampant on Instagram and YouTube and what you should be doing instead.
And on that note, here's how to get a flattering, natural-looking brow that suits you and doesn't look like you've put it on with a Sharpie.
MAC Senior Artist Melissa Gibson tells us how to handle the overabundance of limited edition collections without feeling the need to buy them all. She should know, working for MAC, who has limited edition collections out every few weeks!
Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo and Real Techniques sits down with their idol, the fantastic MUA Val Garland for a chat.
Read about (and see) what happened when a woman went to eight different makeup counters and asked for a natural make-up look.
Good morning, lovelies! It's Beauty Squared Round-Up time. Settle in and enjoy!
The Up the Rollercoaster blog's concealer library. It's helpful for a number of reasons - - talking about the types of concealers you need for different concealing purposes, and the types of concealers that are especially good for different concealing purposes.
We all love drugstore dupes for high end products. Here's a new round!
Are you intrigued by but a little scared by blue eyeshadow? (I am). Here are some new shades and how to wear them that might inspire you out of that fear.
Maybe more people would wear sunscreen if it didn't smell like sunscreen? Here are some of the best-smelling sunscreens.
Relevant to me (and maybe you), beauty things to pack for travelling.
Did you know that the Beauty Blender (that bright pink egg-shaped sponge we've all got in our kits) isn't just good for applying foundation and concealer.
One of the most talked about things from the Oscar red carpet this year was Margot Robbie's lip colour. Here's what MUA Tyron Machausen used on her face, including that gorgeous lip colour.
Remember that video of Max Factor applying makeup on a extra's face that was featured in the Round Up two weeks ago? Well here's more on how Max Factor made up on silent film actors and revolutionized makeup.
Major sparkle for the eyelids was all over the runways recently with models sporting glued-on crystals and sequins on their eyelids. Look for this to trickle down to more wearable looks for non-model types who want the look.
Good morning, everyone! There's a lot to tell you about today, so let's waste no time and get right to it, so that you can waste a little bit of your Sunday on some beauty links. ;)
We've got a bunch of New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week links for you.
The best advice for achieving a no makeup makeup look is to be naturally beautiful. Or at least so many tutorials you find online says without saying it. Here's a no makeup look done on a beautiful model.
Eight models share the beauty tips that superstar MUA Pat McGrath has given them. Think easy, quick, clever tips that can be individualized to you.
It's Oscar weekend and Glamour takes a look at some of the best makeup looks of the best actress nominees.
Speaking of the Oscars, you can bet that many of the ladies (and gents) are doing beauty treatments and steps like this right now in anticipation of all the cameras on the red carpet today. Into the Gloss has a tutorial on concealing undereye circles here.
Here's a Sunday project for you: Read this XOVain article about makeup product expiration dates, go to your bathroom and spring clean your makeup collection. Remember that if you have any MAC products, you can do the Back to MAC program (online or in-store) and restock with some new products!
TV host, radio host, and writer (among other things), Pay Chen shares her beauty tips and philosophy with Toronto's Vv Magazine's Ethnic Beauty Guide.
A new beauty brand called Stowaway Cosmetics is set to change the way we think about makeup. They do "mini makeup" - travel-friendly sizes that will beat that "I'll never finish all of this" feeling.
Speaking of spring nails, The Polishaholic has a review and swatches of the new Essie Resort 2015 collection.
Sephora's got an interesting new eyelash comb design. Temptalia's got her impression of it here.
How often do you wash your hair? Here's how often you should (hint: they're probably not the same thing).
Do you have rosacea? Or perhaps you've just got a lot of redness? Here's a makeup tutorial by Lisa Eldridge that offers tips for this kind of skin. Also, rather than just a natural look, Lisa does a more glam look using a red lipstick (something those with a lot of red to their skin tend to avoid).
Benefit Cosmetics has got another brand new mascara. This one is called Benefit Roller Lash and here is what Pixiwoo thought of it.
An interview with MUA Mark Coulier, who was behind the makeup look that so successfully aged Tilda Swinton in the Oscar-nominated Wes Anderson movie The Grant Budapest Hotel.
Some of the best makeup looks from last weekend's Grammy awards. Which were your favourites?
And finally, Max Factor: first beauty vlogger? Nah, but check out this fantastic video showing the beauty icon at work, creating a Claudette Colbert look on an actress.
Remember the 100 Years of Beauty video from a few weeks ago? Here's another, featuring looks from the 1910s to the 2010s, but this time with a black model.
Wishes for a warm, successful, festive and satisfying holiday season to you and yours. These are the days in between Christmas and New Years, for those you celebrate, when it's time for recovery, and/or shopping, and/or preparation. And time for checking out some beauty links!
The Rockettes, of NYC's Radio City Music Hall, discuss their beauty routine with InStyle.
Do you suffer from dry skin in the winter? Here are some tips on locking in your skin's moisture in the winter, or really, any time of the year.
And yet another bright lip link, though this isn't just about using lip colour to brighten your lips. Think a little lower...
Check out the insane foam that this bar of soap called Non-F Shabon Roller creates! Those of you with dry and dehydrated skin will want to check this one out.
Beauty Squared began as a informal string of emails discussing makeup, beauty and fashion between two friends who live on opposite sides of the country. Beauty Squared consists of Catherine and Jill, who hope to bring all the latest beauty news, reviews and tips to everyone out there.
